Trey Burke has player of the year moment, saves Michigan with a heroic performance

Michigan sophomore point guard Trey Burke didn't have his best statistical game ever Sunday against Michigan State, but his heroic performance may have been the best all-around effort he's had in a Wolverine uniform. Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

ANN ARBOR -- If Trey Burke doesn't finish this season with at least one player of the year award, then Superman must be moonlighting as a college basketball star somewhere.

When Michigan needed its point guard the most Sunday, Burke dug deep.

When it needed him more, again, seconds later -- he answered dug deeper, keeping the Wolverines' season from completely rattling off the tracks in the process.

Burke's 21-point, 8-assist, 5-steal performance in a 58-57 win over Michigan State on Sunday was just another day at the office, on paper.

In reality, though, his late-game effort was season-changing, perhaps career-defining -- no matter how you cut it.

"I knew they were going to hold for the last shot, I could tell everyone was nervous, they had a shot at the last shot," Burke said Sunday night. "It was either (get a stop) or overtime.

"I just went after it. If I was going to miss it, I'd have been out of the play."

He didn't miss. He rarely does. As a result, the Wolverines seem to have new life.

Burke was the best player in the building once again Sunday, coming up with play after play for a team in complete desperation mode.

He's only a sophomore, he's only 6-foot-1. But Burke's shoulders are pretty broad, and Sunday, he put his team on his back and let everyone know who Michigan's true leader is.

"I continue to see it every day," Michigan coach John Beilein said. "There were times today when he could have just shot the ball in. But he knew the point was to just get the ball into the paint. And I guess (maybe) he didn't feel his shot, he was open, but he still tried to drive it in.

"What was he doing? He was following exactly what the coaches wanted to do."

Michigan outscored physical Michigan State in the paint Sunday, 44-26. But not because it spent the game dumping the ball into the post. Because Burke controlled the pace of the game off the dribble.

He found creases, he made passes, he hit layups, he ran fast breaks. He did everything.

"They did get the (ball into the paint) some," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "But that's Burke."

On top of that, Burke helped orchestrate a players-only meeting after Michigan's humiliating loss at Penn State on Wednesday.

He could sense his team needed a leader and it needed direction. And he was more than willing to give it to them.

"He's becoming a better extension of the coaching staff every day," Beilein said. "It's been huge for us. Huge for us."

Burke's had some phenomenal statistical games during his two-year run at Michigan, and Sunday's performance was far from his best on paper.

But in terms of will, grit and determination, Burke's 38 minutes against Michigan State may have been the best all-around performance he's ever had in a Michigan uniform.

Indiana junior Victor Oladipo generated a great deal of player of the year buzz late last month with his late-game heroics in a win over Michigan State.

On Sunday, Burke took his turn on the big stage.

The Wolverines needed their star to be a star.

And he was.

"I knew it was my job to continue to pump the team up when plays weren't going our way," Burke said. "Three or four plays didn't go our way the last minute or two. Guys were down. With five or six minutes left, we were up 10 points, (momentum) was going our way.

"But once they started making their run, I knew it was my job to continue to huddle the guys up and tell them 'hey, we're still going to win this game and do what we need to do to win the game.' "